Aftermath
by Violet Velocity
Summary: This story starts off with the death of the much beloved Romeo and Juliet. Afterwords, it follows the two families coping with their death.


**I just want to say thanks to my beta reader: HistoryNut1997! Thank you!**

* * *

Romeo raced as fast as he could to the Capulet family tomb. How could Juliet be dead? He ran through the grass past tomb stones, but stopped suddenly. He heard someone lurking near the tomb, muttering something inaudible. He squinted, allowing his eyes to see more clearly through the haze of night. It was County Paris, the man betrothed to his beloved.

"Who goes there?" Romeo heard Paris call out.

"None other than Juliet's true love, Romeo," he called out defiantly.

"How could you say that, gentleman?" Paris convulsed in sobs.

"How could you cry over something you don't know anything about?"

"Care to enlighten me? I don't see how you can keep this sick joke going on!" spat Paris.

"Juliet died out of sadness..."

"Of course! It was because she didn't get to wed me soon enough!" Paris fell to his knees.

Romeo began to grow impatient, "No, fool! She died from grief because she didn't want to marry you."

"How could you lie to me after all of this?" Paris was enraged.

"I'm not lying!" shouted Romeo.

"Prove yourself!" Paris took out a sword from his side. Romeo instantly stabbed him right in the breast, allowing death to come quickly to the poor gentleman. "I've been stabbed!" Romeo pulled his dagger out and suddenly looked at what he had done.

"Oh, no! Juliet!" Romeo's voice shook with hysteria.

"Juliet!" Paris called out. Romeo stepped in to the light, "it's you! Romeo!" he collapsed.

"It is I! Yes, but I have done great harm to my family's name! Juliet! What have I done? I have acted in spite!" Romeo looked at County Paris and began to cry.

"Stop the blubbering and be a man," County Paris breathed, "Please I have one wish left, you scoundrel."

"What is it? I would do anything for you?"

"Lie me next to my deceased wife to be, it would be her wish as well," Paris finished his words and then the light fled from his eyes. His breath ceased to exist and he was gone. Romeo took County Paris and dragged him into the bowels of the tomb. He carried him until they reached the final room.

"This is it," Romeo whispered and he lie Paris down next to Juliet. Oh, Juliet. He looked at her, the light's presence gone. Her snow white skin felt cold to the touch. It was apparent that she had been dead for a while now. Her hair was splayed in a form that looked like a halo encompassing her head. She still looked beautiful, but that touch of life, her once dove like appearance, was gone. Romeo sat down next to her and ran his fingers through her hair. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you," he said. "I love you!" he proclaimed. His eyes suddenly grew wide with madness. "I love you!" He pulled the dagger out of its hilt and then stabbed himself right through his bosom. He fell over on to the floor and struggled against the pain until he finally lay dead.

An hour later, Juliet awoke inside her family's tomb. She couldn't see anything because it was so dark and the most she could see was from the moonlight that leaked in through the long hall to the back chamber she was currently in. It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the light. Once her eyes dilated she saw a horrific scene. Her love Romeo Montague lay dead along with her betrothed, County Paris. She couldn't believe her eyes. How could this have happened? Friar Laurence's plan was fool proof, or so they had believed. How could fate keep them apart? Why would fate want to keep them apart? Questions swirled around her mind as all of her thoughts pointed in one direction. There was only one answer left.

Juliet's whole body trembled with anger she couldn't express with words. She pulled the dagger from Romeo's breast and shook. She knew what she had to do. She raised the dagger to her bosom where her heart was. "This is it," she whispered, "I will be with him forever." She giggled at the last word as if she was sharing an intimate joke with the newly deceased. Her heart skipped a beat. 'Is this what it's like to be free?' she questioned herself. She was ready to thrust the dagger in, but she stopped herself. She couldn't quite get herself to complete the deed.

She heard a sound coming from the outside of the mausoleum, the thundering sound of pounding foot steps. She heard someone screaming orders at people and then a loud thud as if someone had fainted. She started to back away from the opening and felt her back hit something. She looked behind herself to see Tybalt's freshly dead corpse decomposing. She shrieked out of terror alerting the search party that she was still in the tomb.

She weighed out her options as quickly as possible: die for her lover or face the consequences from her parents and the ever growing pain of not being with her one true love. She knew her answer. She raised the dagger again and used all her might to plunge it deep in to her chest. A sickening crunch was heard throughout the tomb causing the search party to race down the hall with torches raised. Juliet cried out with pain and crumpled over. She caressed Romeo's face with her hand and then succumbed to the darkness.


End file.
